Former OG ace player Ceb leads several top Dota 2 esports players in withdrawing from the Games of the Future tournament..

Esport Insider exclusively reported on Sunday that former OG ace support, captain, and co-founder Ceb, has led several other top Dota 2 esports players in withdrawing from the Games of the Future tournament which is currently underway in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

According to the report, Ceb and his team decided to withdraw in protest against the tournament being hosted by a pro-Russian government faction, amid ongoing controversy surrounding Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.

It's worth noting that this two-time TI champion is not the first player to withdraw from the tournament due to his stance on the Russia-Ukraine war.

Prior to Ceb's withdrawal, former Cloud9 (C9) Dutch-Chinese legendary midlaner and streamer SingSing had already declined an invitation to commentate on the event for the same reason.

Former Empire legendary Ukrainian offlaner Ghostik, who clearly is embroiled in the conflict, is also reportedly the first player to call on his Dota 2 esports colleagues to boycott the Games of the Future tournament. 

Games of the Future is a Dota 2 tournament organized by Phygital International, a Russian-based company.

This tournament, boasting a prize pool of $175,000, has garnered significant attention due to its star-studded lineup, including former OG ace players, MinD_ContRoL, cty, BurNIng, and two Malaysian-Chinese legends, Mushi and chuaN.

However, while Phygital claims the tournament aims to promote the esports industry and develop a new generation of outstanding Dota 2 professional esports players, the organization has been controversial since its inception last year due to its pro-Russian political stance.

The inaugural opening ceremony even featured Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with dignitaries from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Belarus, and other former Soviet republics, drawing criticism from human rights activists.

Although the tournament has moved to Abu Dhabi this year, it has drawn even more criticism than last year due to the UAE government and royal family's long-standing practice of suppressing their people and using major international sporting events to whitewash their country's negative image.

To date, the number of humanitarian activists calling for a boycott of Games of the Future by fans and viewers worldwide, primarily due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, has reached thousands.

Ceb's former long-time teammate, N0tail, has also joined the boycott and announced his withdrawal from the tournament.